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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26672110">(you can't risk falling off your throne.)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/zohh/pseuds/zohh'>zohh</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: Legend of Korra</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>A lot of sex, Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F, Fraternities &amp; Sororities, and a small dash of political drama, there will be frat parties</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 12:55:02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,472</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26672110</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/zohh/pseuds/zohh</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Everything between us is very platonic."</p>
<p>"She gave you a literal hickey!"</p>
<p>"...platonically."</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Korra/Asami Sato</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>136</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. one.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hi pals.  this is a story that was originally published many moons ago (aka 2015).  after rewatching the series, i decided to revamp it.  </p>
<p>please note that the setting for this story is very much "our" world and the characters' races and ethnicities reflect what the four nations are based off of (ex. fire nation being based off of japan).  also, despite rewriting this five years later i have decided to keep the story still in 2015 because reasons.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p>Asami yawns, pulling her legs up to sit criss cross on the cushioned, wooden chair.  She picks up her notebook and planner, placing them in her lap, and then takes a sip from the latte in her other hand.  Thank the fucking lord for Starbucks.</p>
<p>“Ladies!  Sit down and be quiet!  We’re already running five minutes behind!”</p>
<p>Asami rolls her eyes.  There’s a long table in the front of the room where the executive board is sitting and she looks up, exchanging a glance with Opal.  Opal rolls her eyes, too.</p>
<p>“Ladies!  Let’s go!”  The president, Serena, is sitting in the middle of the executive board table, her blonde hair bouncing every time she yells.  “I will literally send you all to standards if you don’t sit down and be quiet in the next ten seconds.”</p>
<p>“Can we <em>not</em> with standards, it’s eight in the fucking morning,” Asami mutters, bringing her latte to her lips again.  Next to her, one of her pledge sisters laughs.</p>
<p>“How did she even get elected?  I know none of the seniors voted for her and we make up, like, half the chapter.”</p>
<p>“I have no idea. But I swear, Talia, every time she opens her mouth I just wanna’ scroll her so hard.  This is not who I wanted to hand the presidency over to.”</p>
<p>Talia laughs again.  “You better drink more coffee before she tries to send you to standards for insubordination, or something.”</p>
<p>“Ladies!  We’re starting now!”  Serena stands up and everyone in the room is silent.  “I know none of you are happy about having to be up this early, but the sooner we get through this, the sooner we can leave.  We only have one week to prepare for recruitment…"</p>
<p>Asami opens up her notebook, ignoring Serena’s voice, and begins absentmindedly doodling with her pen.  Nothing that Serena is saying matters to her; she’s been through five different recruitments and e-board tells them the same thing every year.  Even last year when she was president, she told the chapter the same exact thing.</p>
<p>She fills an entire page full of sketches; drawing out a machinery design for a tank that she had worked on over the last summer with her father.</p>
<p>Serena talks for what feels like an hour before sitting down and handing things off to Opal.  Asami closes her notebook, finally looking up as Opal begins to talk.</p>
<p>“Starting now, I want everyone to wear letters every single day until recruitment is over,” Opal says.  “I know you all have enough pairs, and if you don’t, well, one of the Beta Psi boys just fixed our washer for us so it should be working just fine.”</p>
<p>Asami smirks.  Beta Psi boy?  More like Bolin, her boyfriend.</p>
<p>“Also,” Opal continues, “we need to submit who our Rho Chi is to the panhel council tonight.”</p>
<p>Talia nudges her.  “Hey, you should do it,” she whispers.</p>
<p>“What?” Asami gives her an incredulous look.  “I was president last year and also besides, I’m not exactly a ‘nobody.’”</p>
<p>“They might know your name but that’s it.  You’ve basically been awol from the rest of campus for the last year.  C’mon, you <em> never </em> leave the house, except to go to class and parties.”</p>
<p>Asami opens her mouth to respond, but before she can say anything Opal says, “Big?”</p>
<p>“Sorry little,” Asami mutters, turning to face the front again and closing her mouth.</p>
<p>“I know being Rho Chi means de-lettering and basically no public communication with the chapter for the next two weeks, but—hey—you get out of being in the house during the rounds.”</p>
<p>There’s silence in the chapter room and Opal starts to drown.  When no one else raises their hand, Asami sighs.  “I’ll do it.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>She avoids the house as much as possible during the day to make sure no one sees her anywhere near Greek row.  The Kappa Gamma Mu house is the first one on the street of fraternity and sorority houses, right next to the goddamn Lambda Zeta house and across the street from the Beta Psi brothers.</p>
<p>Potential new members have until Friday at five to register for recruitment, and that night the panhel council will send her a list of all the girls in her group.  She has to mentally prepare herself; remember to smile, be happy, pretend to be unbiased about all of the sororities, don’t bash the fucking Lambda Zetas…Opal had given her a rundown and for a split second Asami had regretted letting her little run for (and subsequently be elected as) recruitment chair.</p>
<p>“Little, I’ve got this,” Asami told her after their early morning chapter meeting on Sunday.  “I’m a recruitment pro.”</p>
<p>“I <em> know </em> big,” Opal had said, “but this time you have to try and sell all five sororities instead of just ours."</p>
<p>“I will be the best Rho Chi Republic State College has ever seen.  Promise.”</p>
<p>That conversation was two days ago and now she’s sitting in the campus dining hall, picking at the salad on her plate.  She’s about to crush a crouton with her fork when a figure sits down at the table in front of her.  Asami narrows her eyes and frowns.  It’s Korra, with hair considerably shorter than the last time Asami remembers seeing it, and <em> god </em>, it looks good on her.  If possible, she frowns harder.</p>
<p>Asami picks her plate up and leaves the table, making her way over to the conveyor belt where the dishes are dropped off.  She walks out of the cafeteria with one last look over to Korra, who brushes back a strand of loose hair.  That haircut is really bothering Asami.</p>
<hr/>
<p>On her fourth day of avoiding the house, she’s eating a late lunch in one of the campus cafés while finishing an assignment for her global engineering class.  The sandwich in front of her is only half-eaten and she’s staring blankly at her computer screen with her chin in her hands.</p>
<p>The café is mostly empty.  She hears footsteps near her but ignores them, trying to actually focus on the notes in front of her.</p>
<p>“Um, hey.”</p>
<p>Asami moves her hands and looks up.  Korra is standing in front of her, hair falling in front of her face and her bag slung loosely over her shoulder.</p>
<p>“I, ah, saw you in the caf the other day.”</p>
<p>She tilts her head and purses her lips.</p>
<p>Korra sighs.  “Look, can we talk?”</p>
<p>Asami thinks for a moment.  Having a conversation with Korra definitely is not on her to-do list, but the idea of having to look at her computer screen for another thirty minutes without actually getting any work done isn’t exactly thrilling to her either.  She nods, motioning to the chair on the other side of the round table she’s sitting at and closes her laptop.</p>
<p>They sit in complete silence for almost a minute, and when Korra still doesn’t say anything Asami  says, “I don’t hate you, if that’s what you’re wondering.”</p>
<p>“Oh, I didn’t, uh, well…” </p>
<p>“I’ll admit that I was pretty pissed when Mako ditched me for a freshman, but we were never really that serious.  And then after the two of you split he came crawling back to me, and well, I was drunk that night…you know the rest.”  Asami finishes the sentence with a wave of her hand.</p>
<p>Korra nods but doesn’t say anything.</p>
<p>“A lot of time has passed.  I’m in my last semester.  I don’t even hate Mako.</p>
<p>Korra’s mouth twitches.  “Because his brother is dating your little?”</p>
<p>“Maybe.”</p>
<p>Korra’s twitches turn into a smile.  When Asami starts to look away, Korra says, “Y’know, this may come as a shock to you, but Kappa G was my top pick after the first round when I went out.”</p>
<p>Asami lifts an eyebrow.  “Really?”</p>
<p>“Oh yeah,” Korra says, nodding.  “I tried really hard in your house, but I figured you would shoot down my chances at a bid.”</p>
<p>“I absolutely cannot talk about anything that was discussed during recruitment.  You know the rules.”</p>
<p>Korra rolls her eyes.  “Oh, uh-huh, sure.”  She pushes her seat back and stands up, idling awkwardly.  She clasps her hands together, drumming her thumbs on her forefingers.  “Thanks…for, uh, talking to me.”</p>
<p>Asami sighs.  “I guess I should also tell you that the only reason I always avoided you the last year and a half was simply just to avoid any drama.”</p>
<p>“What?”  Korra stops drumming her thumbs.</p>
<p>“I know you wanted to ask that.  Why I always avoided you at Greek mandatories and would leave any time you were around,” Asami says, shrugging her shoulders.  “This is a relatively small campus and a lot of us are all related to important people.  I didn’t want any unnecessary drama.”</p>
<p>“Oh.”  Korra scrunches her lips.  “That makes sense, I guess.  Yeah.”</p>
<p>“Don’t take it too personally.  I do it with everyone.”</p>
<p>“Everyone?”</p>
<p>Asami shakes her head.  “Like—people who could…cause drama?”</p>
<p>Korra smiles again.  “No, I get what you’re saying.  And thanks, again.  For you know, talking and explaining.  I’m sure you have more important things to do than sit in the café with me.”</p>
<p>Asami motions to her laptop with her head and says, “Ugh, don’t remind me.  This class is dreadful.”</p>
<p>“Ah, let me guess, some crazy smart engineering class for prodigy geniuses?”</p>
<p>“Mm, yes.  Exactly.”</p>
<p>Korra starts to laugh when her phone buzzes, and she reaches for it from her back pocket.  She looks down at the screen and frowns.  She’s still standing and Asami gives her a pointed look.</p>
<p>“Sorry,” she says quickly.  “Madame president has been hounding me about all of my social media pages.”  Korra clicks off the screen and pockets her phone.  “Say hello to Lambda Zeta’s Rho Chi.”</p>
<p>Asami tugs at her bottom lip, hiding a smirk.</p>
<p>“Um, so, I guess I’ll see you around?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Asami lets herself smile.  “You will.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>She only has one class on Fridays and it’s a fucking miracle.  Her senior design class meets at noon for two hours and she thanks the engineering gods for this perfect class time.</p>
<p>She’s wrapped in a grey pea coat and sitting on a bench outside the science building with her phone, her thumb automatically hovering over the curved “f” on a blue background.  She internally chastises herself, remembering that she was forced to take down or hide every single social media account she has ever used.  Even the PR director for her father’s company is less strict than the panhellenic council when it comes to social media, and she’s met the president.  Multiple times.</p>
<p>It isn’t odd for students at Republic State to be under the watchful eye of society, whether the eye is big or small.  Asami Sato, daughter of the renowned Hiroshi Sato, has been no stranger to this.  Republic State College, nestled right outside the bustle of D.C., boasts a prestigious education for the children of the most influential people in the world.</p>
<p>Her father’s company, Future Industries, found its origins in Japan until making its way over to America, producing the highest quality in military-grade technology and weapons.  Just a few months ago President Raiko gave a press conference citing Future Industries and Hiroshi himself as the reason behind Russia’s failed attempt to hack into the NSA’s database.</p>
<p>Being the privileged daughter of someone well known is exactly the reason why Asami chose to go to Republic State; everyone else was in her shoes.  Nobody saw her as “famous” or "the rich girl" because they were all the children or grandchildren of political or government figures.</p>
<p>One of her sisters walks past her and gives her a quick, knowing glance before shuffling off hurriedly.  Asami shrinks down into her jacket and looks down at the main screen of her phone.  She’s about to lock the screen when a caller ID lights up and her phone vibrates in her hand.</p>
<p>“Hello?”</p>
<p>
  <em> “Asami Sato?” </em>
</p>
<p>“This is she.”</p>
<p>
  <em> “Please hold while we transfer you to the office of Hiroshi Sato.” </em>
</p>
<p>Asami crosses her legs, pointing her boot covered toe back and forth while the line goes temporarily silent.</p>
<p>There’s the sound of someone clearing their throat and then, <em> “Asami?” </em></p>
<p>“Hi, dad.”</p>
<p>
  <em> “How are you, how are your classes this semester?” </em>
</p>
<p>“I’m doing alright,” she pauses briefly, deciding whether or not to mention recruitment.  She doesn’t, and continues on with, “My classes are okay, too.  I’m working on my senior design project.”</p>
<p>
  <em> “Wonderful, wonderful!” </em>
</p>
<p>“How’s the company?”</p>
<p>
  <em> “Oh, everything is going great.  That new tank prototype you came up with over the summer is in its final approval stages.  If all goes as planned, we should be able to start producing them for the army within the next four to six months.” </em>
</p>
<p>Asami grins, her cheek pressing against her phone.  “Oh!  That’s fantastic!”</p>
<p>
  <em> “I’m so proud of you, Asami.” </em>
</p>
<p>She inhales deeply.  “Thanks, dad.”</p>
<p>Her father clears his throat again.  <em> “The President of India is visiting in a few weeks, and President Raiko is hosting a state dinner.  I know you’re busy with your sorority and classes, but I would really like it if you could accompany me.” </em></p>
<p>Asami’s eyes go wide and she nearly gasps.  “Dad…are you sure?  I mean, I know you’ve taken me to important events before to meet the president, but this is a state dinner.”</p>
<p>
  <em>“I know, Asami.  But eventually this company will be yours and now that you’re almost finished with school, I think it’s important for you to be seen.”</em>
</p>
<p>If possible, Asami’s grin grows wider and her phone is digging into her face.  “Yes, dad.  I would love to go.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>Asami texts her little before coming back to the house, making sure that the door is unlocked so she can run in unnoticed.  The Kappa Gamma Mu house is made of brick with two pillars in the front and the Greek letters on top in black paint.  Most of the houses on Greek row look similar, but the Kappa house is the only one with the pillars, which makes Asami happy in a smug sort of way.</p>
<p>She bypasses the chapter room and runs up to the third floor where her room is at the end of the hallway.  Her bed is still unmade and her clothes from yesterday are still piled on the floor, but she doesn’t have a roommate this year so her penchant for caring has significantly decreased.</p>
<p>She drops her bag on the floor and falls face-first onto her floral bedspread.</p>
<p>“Big?”</p>
<p>“Hold on, little.” Asami says, her voice muffled from the blankets.  She pushes herself off and opens her door, smiling weakly at Opal.</p>
<p>“Some of us ordered pizza, so I saved you a slice,” Opal says, walking into the room with a plate in her hand.</p>
<p>“Oh, bless you.”  Asami takes the plate and goes to sit down on her bed.</p>
<p>“Have you eaten anything today?”</p>
<p>“Hours ago,” Asami says.  “I went to the dining hall after my class, but I forgot how terrible the food is there.  I’ve been in the library since then, waiting until I could come back here.”</p>
<p>“I’m sorry you have to do this, big,” Opal says, sitting down next to her and leaning her back against the wall.</p>
<p>Asami shrugs, taking a bite of the pizza.  “It’s not too bad, really.  But do you know how exhausting it is to be out on campus all day?  I’m so used to just coming back here, but I have legitimately been in public places all week.”</p>
<p>Opal laughs.  “Well you spent your term as president pretty much holed up in either your room or the chapter room.  Did you forget what it was like to be around people other than us?”</p>
<p>Asami glares at her.  “Oh, ha, ha.  Let’s make fun of the girl who <em> single handedly </em>saved the chapter’s ass when that composite company tried to steal all of our money.  I literally had to make up court documents and threaten to sue them before they would let go.  Do you know how pissed nationals would be if they found out someone signed a contract with non-approved company?”</p>
<p>“I <em> know </em>, big,” Opal says.  “I’m just giving you a hard time.”</p>
<p>Asami frowns and shoves more pizza into her mouth.  “I saved us so much money.  We refurnished the living room because of me,” she mutters.</p>
<p>Opal rolls her eyes and smiles.</p>
<p>“Oh!” Asami says suddenly, dropping the plate on her lap.  “I forgot to tell you!”</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>“I know who Lambda’s Rho Chi is.”</p>
<p>Opal leans forward.  “Oooh, who, who?”</p>
<p>“Korra.”</p>
<p>“Hmmm,” Opal leans back against the wall.  “That could be interesting.”</p>
<p>“Why?”</p>
<p>“Well,” Opal says, “Bolin’s friends with her, and from what I know she’s a definite talker, so I could totally see her slipping up about something.”</p>
<p>Asami tilts her head to the side.  She doesn’t know much about Korra, other than everything that had happened with Mako, that she’s a swimmer, and that her father is a senator.  And also that short hair looks good on her. </p>
<p>Opal looks at her.  “Big?”</p>
<p>“Sorry.  I, um, just realized that I need to check my email.  I think panhel sent out the lists of girls for recruitment.”</p>
<p>Opal claps her hands together.  “Show me, show me!”</p>
<p>“Little, you know I can’t.  You’ll get all the résumés on Monday at the first round.”</p>
<p>Opal rolls her eyes.  “You’re no fun.”</p>
<p>Asami gives her a pointed look.  “Do you want the chapter to get in trouble?”</p>
<p>Opal rolls her eyes again and then gets up from the bed.  “I’m gonna’ go back to my room.  You can stop by when you’re done looking at your top-secret Rho Chi email.”</p>
<p>Asami says, “I’ll at least tell you how many girls are in each group,” and Opal grins as she walks out.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. two.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>a mini greek life glossary:</p>
<p>big/little: your big sister/little sister in the sorority.  very common to only refer to them as big or little and not their real name.  (opal is asami's sorority little sister, hence why they only call each other big and little.)</p>
<p>recruitment/rush: the process of joining a sorority or fraternity</p>
<p>pledge/pledging: the name and process for getting initiated into a sorority or fraternity</p>
<p>rho chi: recruitment counselor, the person in charge of groups of potential new sorority members to meet all the different organizations and help them with the recruitment college.  (my school called them rho chis but other colleges use different greek letters for them idk)</p>
<p>greek life organizations are called by greek letters (usually either two or three).  some letters are shortened (sig delt would be sigma delta) because that's just how college kids talk.</p>
<p>i'll try to make sure that the greek life terminology isn't too overbearing and that things are explained in the story, but i'm a former active srat girl myself so sometimes i forget.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Joining a sorority wasn’t originally on her to-do list of things when she first came to college.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her first interaction with Greek life at RSC was when she moved in as a freshman.  She had been carrying the first of many boxes towards one of the freshmen dorm buildings, her father trailing behind her, when an upperclassman a few feet ahead of her quite literally screeched, “BIG!” and started running full-speed toward another girl.  The two hugged and squealed and jumped up and down and Hiroshi had looked across disapprovingly when he caught up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t worry, dad, I don’t think that’s in my future.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m all for socialising, Asami,” he had said as they climbed the stairs to her new dorm.  “But perhaps something more...tame.  Student council, hm?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Six months later, Asami had to call her father, a mix of anxiety and excitement in her chest, to tell him that she was, infact, joining a sorority.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’ll be great for networking,” she explained over the phone.  “Plus, Kappa Gamma Mu, that one I got a bid--I mean, invited to join, has the overall highest GPA on campus and a very good national reputation.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hiroshi “hmm’d” through the phone speaker and then said, “As long as it doesn’t affect your studies.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami sighed, relieved.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Recruitment had been a rollercoaster of events that Asami felt completely and totally unprepared for (although she tried desperately to hide it).  Mako had been the one to suggest that they both rush, and although Asami had been taken aback by his suggestion, she caved when she saw how happy he looked when he got invited to hang out with the Beta Psi fraternity.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So she signed up last minute for recruitment, handing her resume in to the Greek Life office in the student center right before the deadline.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(She knew, of course, with her credentials and absolutely charming personality that she was a shoe-in, but still.  Sororities were a new territory for her and perhaps the engineering prodigy who knew how to build military-grade machinery from scratch would be a little too against the grain.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(And then she got a bid.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(And then she made friends and sisters.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(And then she got a junior position on the executive council.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(And then she became president.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And now she’s a senior in her final semester who spent her term as president both killing it at her position and also possibly ruining her image.  She tries to ignore that last part, ignore all the reckless decisions she made in her (mostly secret to everyone else) social life.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Really, no one needs to know.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It’s nearing six o’clock on Monday and she’s standing by the circulation desk with the rest of the panhellenic council’s executive board in the student center.  Her hair is curled and pinned back on her left, and she’s wearing a light blue t-shirt tucked into her jeans that has the panhellenic symbol on the front and PX on the back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She looks down at the gold watch around her wrist and sighs.  Her phone is in her bag and she knows that if she brings it out, the panhel president will yell at her and she’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>so </span>
  </em>
  <span>not in the mood for that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The door to the student center keeps opening and closing while people walk through, some of them with their heads down, knowing that in twenty minutes the building will be filled with hundreds of girls seeping with anxiety and overpriced perfume.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami is ignoring everyone else around her, avoiding eye contact with the other Rho Chis until someone comes up to the circulation desk and nudges her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami looks over and sees Korra unbuttoning her jacket.  She smirks.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you wearing—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes,” Korra says quickly, turning away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami gives a wide, open-mouthed grin.  “Oh my god.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Stop it,” Korra mutters.  “My big did it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami closes her mouth, covering it with her hand to stop herself from laughing.  “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.  I’m just not used to seeing you in make up.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Korra frowns.  “Does it look bad?  God, I shouldn’t have let my big do this.  I knew it would end up horribly.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, no!” Asami shakes her head.  “It looks fine.  You look nice.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami nods.  “Yes.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Korra smiles.  She isn’t wearing lipstick or anything too flashy, but there’s black liner around her eyes and mascara in her lashes, and Asami can tell that there’s a layer of foundation smoothed out across her face.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Recruitment without being in the house is boring.  It’s really, really boring. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami can’t be in the house except to sleep and shower, and that’s pretty much only because Serena can’t actually kick her out for the week of recruitment, just to “hide” her identity.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sure, Asami (read: her father) could afford temporary housing for the week, but the fact that she pays almost six hundred dollars a semester plus extra for housing means that she can do whatever the fuck she wants.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For the entire week, she only sees her sisters on the pathways while walking to class or at night when she’s bringing her group of potential new members to the house for a round of recruitment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She sits quietly in the corner of the chapter room, pretending to look happy while she keeps track of the time, until she has to take her group out and onto the next house.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The only people she talks to, other than the engineering majors in her classes, are her Opal and Korra.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Opal texts her nonstop, asking questions about the girls in her group and reassuring her big sister that she loves her and she can’t wait for her to be done.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Korra, on the other hand, is a newfound pleasant addition to her week.  The text back and forth between classes and Asami tries to dismiss the lingering feeling of utter happiness whenever they talk.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami runs into her in the cafeteria for dinner on Tuesday, where they both sit quietly and finish homework.  She focuses on her work, willing herself not to look at Korra’s face or arms or hands or anything.  She’s being stupid and none of this means anything.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(The stupid part is annoyingly correct.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>On Thursday, they meet in the café for lunch and Korra is wearing sweatpants and a long-sleeved shirt, both with the Republic State College Swim Team written on them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you still swim?” Asami asks, peering over her laptop screen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Korra swallows, placing her sandwich down on its plate.  “Um, no.  Didn’t you hear what happened?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Slowly, Asami shakes her head, pushing down the top of her laptop.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I tore my rotator cuff at the end of the season last year.  I did the whole surgery thing over the summer, but the doctor said that even if I tried getting back in the water, it wouldn’t be the same and that I’d be at a greater risk to reinjure it.”  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Korra says this all with such calmness that it takes Asami a few moments to finally be able to say, “Wow.  Korra, I’m so sorry.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Korra rubs at her bad shoulder, staring blankly down at the table.  “I was pretty much a wreck after the surgery.  Even after everything healed I wouldn’t get out of bed for a week.  It wasn’t until my coach showed up that I started to feel better.” Korra looks up and her eyes start to get brighter.  “I mean, he literally flew all the way out to Alaska just to see me after my surgery.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait.”  Asami sits up straighter.  “Alaska?  You actually <em>live</em> in Alaska?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Korra tilts her head downwards, eyeing Asami.  “Yes?  You know my dad’s the state senator…right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami can feel her face getting warmer and turning red.  She lowers her torso.  “I mean, </span>
  <em>
    <span>yes</span>
  </em>
  <span>, of course I knew that.  But, I don’t know why, I guess I just assumed your family lived in the D.C. area like most other house and senate members.  Alaska is just so far away."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Korra chuckles.  “Yeah, it is.  And my dad travels a lot, pretty much all the time, really.  But for the most part my mom stays home in Juneau with my Aunty Katara.”  Korra shakes her head a little and then says, “Well, Katara technically isn’t my real aunt, but whatever.  She’s basically like a grandmother to me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wow,” Asami says quietly.  “I feel so…dumb for not knowing.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Korra laughs again and leans forward.  “Congratulations, Miss Asami Sato.  You have just met a native Alaskan.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami brings her laptop screen back up in response.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>It’s bid day.  It’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>fucking</span>
  </em>
  <span> bid day.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bid Day, or as other students like to call it: Greek Life Christmas.  The day where everyone who went out for recruitment and made it through all of the hoops gets matched with their sorority or fraternity and everyone else can finally </span>
  <em>
    <span>breathe.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(And party.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami is sitting in the campus café with a cup of coffee and a god-awful turkey wrap, but she eats it anyway because </span>
  <em>
    <span>it’s fucking bid day</span>
  </em>
  <span> and once five o’clock hits, she can finally go back to being a real member of Kappa Gamma Mu.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Next to her plate her phone buzzes and she picks it up lazily with her left hand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Little: TWO HOURS UNTIL I GET MY BIG BACK!!!!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami smiles and responds back with a slew of emojis, leisurely tapping while she takes a bite from her wrap.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Cute, cute.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami dumbly drops her phone in her lap and turns around.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry,” Korra laughs, shouldering her backpack, “I didn’t mean to startle you.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami puts the wrap down on her plate, leaving her phone in her lap.  “No, it’s fine.  I should probably pay more attention when I’m in public.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Korra says. “I know being in public is, like, a totally new thing for you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami glares at her.  “I was going to ask if you wanted to sit, but now I won’t because that was </span>
  <em>
    <span>rude</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Korra smiles and sits down at the small, round table anyway, slipping off her backpack and setting it on the ground by her feet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, have you heard anything?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami shakes her head.  “All I know is that the number of bids everyone was required to give is twenty-six.”  She places her phone back on the table and takes a sip of her coffee.  “Why?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Korra grins, leaning forward.  “Apparently Theta had to snap bid.  Y’know, the last minute stuff.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Seriously?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mmhm.  Them and Sig Delt.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami raises an eyebrow and hums quietly.  “Well, my little didn’t tell me anything about us, so I guess we’re in the clear.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She’s your recruitment chair, yeah?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami nods, picking up her cup of coffee again.  “She’s been bugging me all week for </span>
  <em>
    <span>behind the scenes</span>
  </em>
  <span> information.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Korra eyes her closely.  “Did you tell her anything?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami brings the cup to her face, looking at Korra over the rim.  “I cannot disclose anything that has been discussed within my chapter.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Korra rolls her eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami looks down at the half-eaten wrap on her plate.  The turkey looks like it’s congealed and she pushes the plate away from her.  “Are you going to Beta Psi tonight?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, Mako said they’re pretty much gonna’ be open house tonight.  I think Iota is working with them, unfortunately.  Trying to get a good bid day mixer is insane.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mako said?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Korra shrugs.  “Honestly?  He makes a better regular friend than boyfriend.  He’s not as fun as Bolin, but still.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami sighs.  “I think I just liked having a reason to hate him.  More fun that way.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What happened to being a senior and not caring about Mako, hm?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shut up.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Korra grins.  “Kinda’ sucks that Iota got involved tonight.  They’re so annoying.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami taps at the table with the tops of her fingers.  “Hmm.  We’ve been at their house a handful of times.  We had our holiday mixer with them and Theta last semester.”  She glances away from Korra.  “It was okay.”  That’s a lie, but whatever.  Korra doesn’t need to know everything.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mmmhm.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Korra leans back in her chair, pulling out her phone.  “What time do we have to be there?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Four.  What time is it now?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Three-thirty.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shit.”  Asami stands up.  “Shit, shit.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Korra starts to laugh.  “What’s wrong?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We have to be back at Greek row in </span>
  <em>
    <span>thirty</span>
  </em>
  <span> minutes and I am </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> not ready for bid reveal!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Calm down, calm down,” Korra says, standing up with her.  “It’s not like you have a whole lot to do.  We just need to wear letters under sweaters or something, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, but I still have to get ready for actual bid day, Korra.  I need to fix my hair and put my face together.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Korra tilts her head.  “What’s wrong with your face?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami ignores her and bends down to pull a small bag out from under the table.  “I’m running to the bathroom to get ready and then we can walk over.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The bathroom outside the café is small and only has two stalls and two sinks.  When Asami walks in, she’s hit with the overwhelming smell of bleach, and there are streaks on the mirror from a cheap window spray.  She sets her bag down on the floor by her feet and places her palm on the edge of the sink, leaning into her reflection.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her eyeliner needs retouching and she needs a completely new lip color.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She washes her hands and then takes a paper towel from the dispenser and wipes her lips until they’re raw, exchanging the darker red she had on earlier for a brighter one.  When she redoes her eyeliner, she only pokes her eye once, which is like, a total win in her book.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There’s no one else in the bathroom so she doesn’t bother going into a stall to take off her sweater and throw on her pair of unity letters, the shirt with stitched letters that everyone in her chapter has.  White shirt, pale blue fabric for the letters, and silver stitching.   She tucks the shirt into her dark jeans and folds the hem of the sleeves over twice before putting a zip-up sweatshirt on over it and looking at herself in the mirror again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She scrunches her nose.  Her hair can wait.  She’ll need to do it for the mixer tonight, anyway.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She picks up her bag and heads back to the café, finding Korra sitting on top of the table with her head bowed over her phone and her hair like a curtain over her face.  Asami scrunches her nose again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Korra looks up.  “You ready?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah.”  Asami pulls her grey pea coat off of the chair she was sitting in earlier and notices that her plate is gone.  Korra must have dumped her food for her.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>It’s a fifteen minute walk to Greek row from the campus café and they walk side-by-side in near complete silence.  It’s mid-February, making “spring recruitment” seem like a total joke, and both Korra and Asami have their hands shoved in their pockets and their breath hovers around them like small white puffs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>By the time they get there, the other three Rho Chis are already standing by the Greek row sign with the rest of the panhel e-board, and there are clusters of girls, new bids no doubt, hovering nervously by the sidewalk.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Korra and Asami throw their bags in a pile on the grass by the sign, and Asami looks down along the street.  The fraternity houses all look the same, but all five sorority houses are decorated—balloons and streamers strung around and large banners hanging out of the second floor windows, all bearing a variation of “welcome home” or “welcome to the best.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami shifts her eyes fondly over to her own house.  She knows her sisters are all waiting eagerly inside the house, Opal and Serena probably pressed up against the front door, waiting for the signal to come outside for bid reveal.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The president of the panhellenic council walks up to them with a hard expression on her face and Asami can’t remember her name.  She thinks the president is in Sigma Delta Pi.  Or maybe Alpha Phi Gamma.  One of those.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good, everyone is here,” she says, clapping her gloved hands together.  There’s a white megaphone sitting on the ground next to her feet.  “I told the PNMs not get here until half past four, but they’re already showing up.  Okay, whatever.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami turns her head back around to look at the girls over by the sidewalk leading up to Greek row.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know it’s freezing and we have to do this outside, but the administration hates us and still won’t let us use the basketball court.  Trust me, I even asked my dad to call and complain.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami rolls her eyes, but next to her Korra gives an appropriate short laugh.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Now, I’m sure you all have seen this before, but if I don’t explain, something will probably go wrong,” the president continues.  “We’ll get the girls grouped, then do the running knock to get everyone outside their houses, then onto Rho Chi reveal, and then you all will run your new girls to your houses.  Sound good?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The five Rho Chis nod, murmuring “okays” under their breaths.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami balls her hands into fists inside the pockets of her jacket.  The temperature feels like it’s plummeted twenty degrees and she forgot to bring a scarf when she left the house in the morning.  She scans her eyes back over the street of houses, turning her head to the Beta Psi house.  She can hear the low rumble of bass no doubt blasting through speakers, probably the brothers and their new pledges pre-gaming for tonight.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She and the rest of the Rho Chis are silent while they wait for the girls with their bids to walk up to the sidewalk, and soon the panhellenic president motions for them to walk over until they are in a very large blob of people.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami looks out at the girls, remembering some of them from her group that she led around during the week.  She can pinpoint the girls holding bid cards that have her little’s handwriting on them, and excitement starts to bubble in the pit of her stomach, warming her torso and face.  This may be her last semester, but it doesn’t matter; bid day is a fucking holiday and she’s excited.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She nudges Korra next to her.  “Are you ready for this?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Korra, smiling widely, whispers to her,  “I’m up for a little this semester.  I’m fucking </span>
  <em>
    <span>stoked</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The president pushes up the sleeve of her coat and looks down at her watch.  She picks up the megaphone and switches it on.   “Alright,” she says loudly, getting everyone’s attention.  “Is everyone excited?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There’s a feeble round of clapping and the entire panhellenic executive board frowns.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry,” the president puts her free hand on her hips.  “Did you girls not want to join Greek life?  Should we just take the bids away?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami shakes her head, watching the girls turn their heads and dart their eyes frantically.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Now, I’m gonna’ ask again: is everyone excited?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There’s loud cheering this time, coming from everyone outside, and Asami swears she can hear banging coming from the sorority houses.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, this is how it’s gonna’ work,” the president says, bouncing up onto her toes.  “On the count of three, I want everyone to hold up their bid cards!  Ready, one, two, three!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami pulls her hands out of her pockets and clasps them together, interlacing her fingers and squeezing tightly out of unnecessary nervousness.  Hands shoot up into the air and she sees at least twenty, if not almost  thirty, bid cards that are definitely for Kappa G.  She glances quickly over to the other Rho Chis and everyone is grinning, even the girl from Theta.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There’s hushed cheering and buzzing coming from the girls while they keep their bid holding hands in the air and then the president says through the megaphone, “Now as quickly as you can, I need everyone to group together—find the girls with the same bid as you and get in a group.  Go!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It’s frenzied and chaotic and it takes a full two and a half minutes for every single girl to be lumped together, everyone single one of them jittery and clutching their bids as close to their bodies as possible.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Last thing before we move on,” the president says, bouncing onto her toes again.  “Hide your bids.  Doesn’t matter where, in a bag, inside your jacket, wherever.  Just make sure no one can see it.  You’ll see why soon.”  The president takes the megaphone away from her face and then nods to the rest of the panhellenic executive board.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Immediately, they all take off from their spots, running down Greek row and up to each sorority house, banging quickly on each door.  Asami doesn’t even need to turn around to know that every sister from every sorority on campus is rushing out of a house and onto the lawn, screaming and jumping, probably without a jacket on.  She keeps her head forward, facing the new girls, avoiding eye contact the ones who are grouped for Kappa Gamma Mu.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The president turns around as the rest of the council comes running back, panting, and brings the megaphone back up.  “Hellooooooo sororities!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The clapping and cheering is a deafening sound, so loud and high pitched that it could break a window.  The doors and windows to the fraternity houses soon open up, and brothers begin leaning out, waving and shouting.  From the Beta Psi house, Mako has his head popped out from a first floor window with Bolin on top of him, screaming at the top of his lungs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Now, before we let you welcome these beautiful ladies to your organizations, it’s time that we recognize the lovely recruitment counselors who have been working hard all week to ensure that every girl goes to the right place.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There’s another wave of cheering and Korra and Asami exchange a quick look with each other.  Asami takes off her gloves, stuffing them into her jacket pockets, and then takes off her pea coat, leaving her only in her zip-up sweatshirt with a t-shirt underneath.  She notices that Korra forwent the suggested zip-up and is instead wearing a Republic State College swim team hoodie, which will be hilarious to see her try and take off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ladies, you have spent all week with your recruitment counselor, better known as Rho Chi, talking to her and asking questions, learning about Greek life and the process.  And I’m sure, and they’re sure, that you probably had guesses about where they belonged.  But were you correct?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At this point, Asami thinks, everyone is so loud that it’s impossible to hear anything the president is saying.  The Rho Chis all turn around, facing the houses instead of the new girls.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alpha Phi Gamma!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The first girl unzips her sweatshirt and there’s loud cheering from her house as she turns around to face the new girls, presenting her letters with pride.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The president calls out the sororities in order of how the Rho Chis are standing, and when she gets to Lambda Zeta, Korra’s sweatshirt gets stuck around her head while she’s turning around, her hair a little puffed up by the time she gets it off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And finally, Kappa Gamma Mu!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami can hear Opal screaming while she unzips her sweatshirt with ease and turns around.  She tried avoiding looking at her house, but she couldn’t help but notice the “GIVE ME BACK MY BIG” sign that Opal was holding.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She locks eyes with the new members in her sorority, all standing in a group closer to Korra.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know how the rest works,” the president says, slowly bringing down her megaphone.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami brings her hand up, motioning for the girls to come with her, and immediately they start running for the Kappa G house.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The screaming is intense.  Opal tackles her the second she gets onto the lawn and they fall down onto the hard, frozen grass.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“BIG!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami smiles, panting.  “Hi, little.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sign Opal made is on the ground next to them and Opal wraps her in another hug as they sit up.  Asami looks over at the house next door and sees Korra riding on the back of one of her sisters.  The Lambda Zeta girls are all wearing shirts with stars and stripes on them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Here, big.  Put this on.”  Opal thrusts a tie-dye shirt into her hands.  “Oh, and this too.”  She then hands her an elastic headband with fake daisies on them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami puts the tie-dye shirt on over her letters and then glances down at it.  </span>
  <em>
    <span>Only the Best Get Picked.  Kappa G Bid Day</span>
  </em>
  <span>.  She lets Opal fuss with the flower headband while she spreads her legs out on the grass, watching everyone else take pictures and greet the new members.  She looks over at Korra again and sees her changing into her own bid day shirt and her chest burns.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>She takes a shot of tequila in her bedroom with her Opal because it’s a tradition in her family line that big and little always take a shot before going to a mixer.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She takes another shot  (or two) of tequila in the kitchen before leaving the house, just for good measure.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The theme for tonight’s party is gender swap, and even though the two fraternities are open house, almost everyone is dressed up.  From across the street she can see boys in skirts with wigs on and girls in oversized polo shirts and bow ties.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami doesn’t try as hard as some of her other sisters, but she doesn’t care.  She has other things on her mind tonight and looking like a man is not a top priority.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She’s wearing straight-leg jeans and a pair of boots covered in oil stains from her times at her father’s factory, a tucked-in white t-shirt, and one of her dad’s old leather jackets.  She ties her hair into a bun to keep it out of her face and wipes off most of her makeup, but decides against the eyeliner pencil mustache that many girls had attempted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She walks across the street with purpose, fueled by the alcohol in her body, and squeezes her way into the Beta Psi house.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Asaaaamiiiiiiii!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami stops in the middle of the entryway, music thumping so loud that her knees can feel it, pressed in between a mass of people entering and leaving.  Suddenly a large hand grabs onto her forearms and pulls her through.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey!” She tries to push the hand off but it’s much too large.  She looks up angrily only to see Bolin grinning widely at her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Asami! Hi!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh.  God.  Bolin, hi.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His eyes are large and Asami can tell that he’s already wasted.  He suddenly pulls her into a crushing hug and says, “I’m so glad you’re here!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh, thanks?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He lets her go and she stumbles.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is Opal here yet?  Did she come with you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, my little said she would be over in a minute.  Why?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bolin grins again.  “I want my outfit to be a surprise for her!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami looks at him carefully.  He’s managed to fit a tutu over his waist and he has an awful shade of blue eye shadow around his eyes like a neon raccoon and a—</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is that a Lilly Pulitzer scarf?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bolin nods enthusiastically.  “Yeah!  I took it out of her room when I came over to fix your guys’ washer the other week.  D’you think she’ll like it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami pats him gently on the arm.  “She’s gonna’ be pissed.   Be careful.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bolin frowns.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, Bo.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They both turn around to see Mako walking towards them, his arms hanging awkwardly at his sides, wearing a large, floral print dress.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“OH MY GOD, MAKO!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mako stops dead in his tracks as Bolin lunges at him, hopping and laughing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami smirks.  “Nice dress, Mako.  The yellow flowers really bring out your eyes.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, uh,” he fumbles with the bottle of fruit punch in his hands.  “Asami.  Hi.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“More punch?” Bolin asks, taking the bottle from his hands.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, go ahead and put that in the kitchen.  Last time the juice was too strong and half the Alpha girls got sick.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bolin skips off to the kitchen with the bottle of red fruit punch and Mako immediately becomes extremely interested in the floor.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami rolls her eyes.  “Look, we’re seniors.  Let’s just move on and have a good time tonight.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mako looks up again and clears his throat.  “Oh, um.  Yeah.  Definitely.  Sounds good.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami rolls her eyes again and pats Mako’s cheek before going into the kitchen to find a drink.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>She’s been at the Beta Psi house for over an hour and is on her second cup of jungle juice.  The floor is sticky and the air is uncomfortably warm and there are people everywhere.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Korra walked in thirty minutes ago with a group of Lambda Zetas, Asami felt a jolt in her stomach.  Korra had clearly tried a little harder than Asami, wearing black pants and a white button-up shirt and a thin, black tie.  The sleeves were rolled up to her elbows and Asami chewed on the rim of her cup while Korra made her way through the party.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But that was half an hour ago and tequila and jungle juice are swimming throughout Asami’s body, vibrating through the tips of her fingers to the tips of her toes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She spots Korra next to the beer pong table with Mako and pulls out her phone, opening up a new text message.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Nice outfit</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami waits, eyes fixated on Korra while she pulls out her own phone and stares down at the screen, smiles, and then taps out a response.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Thanks.  Dig the leather, btw.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami pockets her phone and swells with affirmation.  She takes another sip of her jungle juice, sweet fruit punch mixed with every kind of alcohol imaginable running slick down her throat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Little, I can feel it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Opal looks up at her with wide eyes.  “Feel what?  Do we need to go back to the house?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, not that.”  Asami licks her lips.  “A bad decision.  I can feel a bad decision coming.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Opal gasps.  “Big!  You never make those!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shh.” Asami looks down at Opal.  “Gotta’ do something fun in my last semester, hm?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She drains the rest of her jungle juice and then dumps the empty cup in a nearby trashcan and narrows her eyes on Korra, who’s still standing at the beer pong table.  She leaves her leather jacket with her little and Bolin on the couch and takes the tie out of her hair, letting it fall around her head and onto her shoulders.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Whatever you do, don’t get caught, big!” Opal calls out.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami turns around and winks at her saying, “Don’t worry little, I’m a pro at this.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She walks past where Korra is standing in the living room, grazing the small of Korra’s back with the tips of her fingers.  Korra turns her head and takes the cue, following Asami.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Despite her clearly drunken state, Asami still remembers back from freshman year when she dated Mako (and a few times after) all the places in the house he would take her for “privacy.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She knows it’s a bad idea.  It’s a really, really, fucking bad idea.  But she’s had three shots of tequila and two cups of jungle juice with god knows what in it and all she can think about is the electricity running through her veins and how much she wants to pull that goddamn pencil tie off of Korra’s neck.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She knows that pencil tie, too.  It’s Mako’s and she has for fact taken it off him multiple times, and despite it being a little too long, it looks way better on Korra now than it ever did on him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Behind the chapter room there’s a small entryway that leads to the back patio.  They have to weave in and out of people to get to it but Asami is on a fucking mission and Korra is silently following her, her own hand brushing up against Asami’s back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They finally reach their destination, the air significantly cooler than the rest of the house with the back door right next to them, but the music is still loud, echoing and vibrating throughout the floors and walls.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Korra smirks.  “You still remember the secret spots, I see.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami steps forward.  She has at least two inches on Korra, even without heels on.  “I knew it’d come in handy,” she murmurs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh yeah?  That sure I’d follow through?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shut up.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before Korra can say anything else, Asami pushes her against the wall and kisses her fiercely.  It’s warm and messy and tastes like fruit punch and vodka.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay,” Korra breathes out when they part.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami hums and leans forward again, cupping Korra’s face, kissing her better, harder.  She moves her mouth quickly, methodically, letting the alcohol think for her.  She tries to keep her breathing even but Korra’s hands are already at her hips, tugging at the shirt tucked into her jeans.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami sinks her teeth into Korra’s bottom lip and pulls and Korra gasps, her head thumping softly against the wall.  She lets her tongue graze over it before moving her hands down Korra’s face and neck until she reaches the tie, unknotting it with sheer expertise.  She tugs the tie down her neck before throwing it to the ground while Korra successfully pulls her t-shirt up from the constraints of her jeans, scratching against Asami’s now-bare back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami kisses Korra’s jaw, resting cheek to cheek and panting outside Korra’s ear until she feels her hair being moved to the side and the flat of Korra’s tongue on her collarbone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Korra presses her mouth against Asami’s neck and it’s hot and wonderful and she </span>
  <em>
    <span>knows</span>
  </em>
  <span> that the teeth and the sucking are going to leave a mark but right now she doesn’t even </span>
  <em>
    <span>care.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami whines closed-mouthed, her hands now flat against the wall with Korra’s mouth right above her collarbone.  She shifts her body, taking her right knee and thrusting it in between Korra’s thighs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Korra sucks harder in response and Asami whines again.  She pushes harder in between Korra’s thighs until Korra lifts her head up, her breathing ragged. Asami cups her face again and kisses her, tongue against lips, tongue against teeth, tongue against tongue, her knee firmly in between Korra’s legs until she feels so hot and her jeans feel so tight that she’s going to burst.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It’s the best over-the-clothes hookup she’s had in </span>
  <em>
    <span>ages</span>
  </em>
  <span> and god, why did it take her this long to realize that Korra is </span>
  <em>
    <span>this </span>
  </em>
  <span>fucking hot, </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span> fucking good at making out?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her heart is pounding in her chest, double time of the beat of the music thumping through the walls, and after what feels like hours she finally breaks off of Korra’s mouth.  Forehead to forehead, their eyes are still closed, both breathing heavily.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Water,” Korra breathes out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hm?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Korra leans forward, gently pushing Asami off of her.  “We should drink water.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami giggles, still drunk, still high on the adrenaline of an almost hookup, still feeling like she’s going to burst.  She bends down and picks up the tie she threw off earlier and wraps it around Korra’s neck.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You go first.  I’ll follow in a minute.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Korra rolls forward on her toes and kisses the corner of Asami’s mouth before walking off out of the back entryway, loosely knotting the tie back around her collar.  Asami watches her until she rounds a corner and is out of sight and then tucks her shirt back into her jeans.  She pulls her phone out of her back pocket and uses the front-facing camera to try and look at the damage, but it’s too dark to see anything so she flips her head over and quickly rakes her fingers through her hair, parting it so that most of it hangs to the left side.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When she gets back to the living room, the amount of people has thinned and she spots her little, still sitting on Bolin’s lap, happily taking selfies with anyone who will come over to her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Big!  Come take pictures!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami self-consciously flattens her hair against her neck and squeezes her way onto the couch next to Opal and Bolin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Opal takes the pictures faster than Asami has time to change her facial expression, so in half of them she looks awkwardly surprised while Bolin is in the background, making fish faces.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She feels a foot nudge her shin and Asami looks up from the phone screen, seeing Korra with two green cups, different from the red cups full of alcohol.  Opal and Bolin don’t notice the exchange as Asami takes the cup of water and Korra honest-to-god </span>
  <em>
    <span>winks</span>
  </em>
  <span> at her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you make your bad decision?” Opal asks, turning off the phone screen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami takes a small sip of the water.  “I’ll tell you about it later.”  She puts the cup in front of Opal’s face.  “Here little.  Drink some of this.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Opal takes the cup and downs a big gulp.  When she swallows, she frowns.  “Oh.  Water.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You drink half and I’ll drink half, kay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Opal turns her head around.  “Bo, how many shots did I do?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bolin thinks for a second, his eyebrows furrowed.  “A lot.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Opal pouts and then brings the water back to her face.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>On Saturday, Asami doesn’t wake up until almost noon.  She’s still wearing the white t-shirt from the mixer but she only has one sock on and no pants.  Her hair is a wreck and her mouth feels fuzzy and her head hurts but she reminds herself that she’s suffered worse.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(Way worse.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She fumbles with the sheets until she fully gets them off of her legs and then waddles to her closet to grab her towel.  Slowly, she makes her way to the bathroom that she shares with Talia, who lives in the room next to her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>By the time she gets to it, the door opens and Talia walks out, hair wrapped in a towel with another one wrapped under her arms.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mm, you look great.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami grunts in response.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Talia lifts up a hand and points, a smirk playing at her mouth.  “Looks like someone had fun last night.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asami glares at her.  “Shush,” she mutters.  She pushes past a laughing Talia and closes the bathroom door sharply behind her.  She lets her towel fall to the ground and leans into the mirror to inspect her neck closely.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It’s only one spot low on her neck, but it’s a deep red and purple, too dark for makeup.  Asami scrunches her face and then moves to the shower, turning on the water.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>listen.  lilly pulitzer was very important to me in college and i refuse to edit that part out despite the fact that it's 2020 and a lot of people have stopped wearing it because the quality has severely decreased over the years.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i cannot promise a consistent schedule for updating, but i *do* have a decent chunk of this already written, plus an outline for the rest.  also, please let me know if some of the "sorortity speak" is too hard to follow; i will gladly explain/reword any of it.</p>
<p>thank you, i love you, goodbye.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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